Origin: This territory was chartered in 1763, and named for Dr. Matthew Thornton. The grant was given to him in return for his service as surgeon in the Pepperell expedition of 1745. Dr. Thornton, whose practice was in Merrimack, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, a justice of the Superior Court, speaker of the House of Representatives, member of the State Senate, delegate to the Continental Congress, and president of the state following the Revolutionary War. No settlements were made under the first grant, and a second was issued in 1768; the first settlements were made in 1770.

Villages and Place Names: Goose Hollow, West Thornton

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 385 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Thornton totaled 2,011 over 56 years, from 480 in 1960 to 2,491 in 2016. The largest decennial percent change was an increase of 60 percent between 1970 and 1980, this was followed by a 58 percent increase over the next decade. The 2016 Census estimate for Thornton was 2,491 residents, which ranked 122nd among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density and Land Area, 2016 (US Census Bureau): 49.5 persons per square mile of land area. Thornton contains 50.3 square miles of land area and 0.4 square miles of inland water area.

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